And getting them the birth control that they need on the treacherous journey north

For undocumented women making the perilous journey north to the US, sexual violence is one of the many threats they must face along the way, reports Alice Whitwham. A nun succinctly puts it this way: ‘Women are a commodity.’

“Unfortunately, the woman who is going to migrate, she knows that she will be violated,” Father Prisciliano Pereza told Whitwam.

Father Prisciliano Pereza of Sonora, Mexico explained the situation further to Whitwham: “It’s not just one guide, there are several… From their place of origin until their destination, there are going to be five to eight people guiding the migrants. It makes women more vulnerable.” The women cannot prevent the violence, Prisci, but they can protect themselves.

Prisci began giving these women his blessing to take birth control and contraceptive injections—despite the fact that contraception is considered a venial sin in the Catholic Church—and has directed hundreds of women to the local pharmacy down the street from his church.